My Dearest Kutu...

You never fail to surprise me boy!! Your school reopened today. And after almost two months of holidays anyone would have expected you to cry. More so me. The prospect of a repeat telecast of your previous school saga has been giving me shivers every now and then. Even if you didn't cry, a room full of wailing brats is enought to set the tear fountains on. Right?

I voiced my fears to your Achan last night. He said "Then lets not send him to school on the reopening day. We will send him next week. By then the rest of them would have calmed down a bit." eh? what? Now that was a simple logical solution wasn't it? And that set your Amma darling to fret and fume and rant and stare at the ceiling fan in the middle of the night deciding on what to do. Finally off to school you were to go on the stipulated day June 6th.

But then there you were. Giving me a sheepish smile and patiently waiting at the door of the classroom for your teacher to take you inside. You followed her in like an obedient little puppy!(where does all this good manners disappear when it comes to your amma???) The teacher had asked a few of the parents to stay back just in case their kids started howling. But she told me "I dont think he is going to cry or make a fuss. You may leave". OK..if you say so.

From when your playschool closed for the summer holidays we have been talking a lot about what you will do when you next go to school. And for the past few days you like a little parrot are chanting to anyone who will listen to you that "June 6th aagumbo njaan biig class pogum. Biiig class per endhu ariyaamo?...LKG!!". Within ourselves this conversation extends to the day when your "happy birthday" will come. I have to dutifully explain the "Happy Birthday to you" ritual that happens in all schools. and you look or seemingly look suitably excited and happy about the whole idea! Anyway thanks to our little conversations. You were prepared for the D-Day and the biiig claass and the new friends and teachers. Or...is this your way of telling me not to count my chickens before they are hatched. Have you postponed your tactics for monday??

You know what? when you are old enough and interested enough to read Harry Potter books, you will get to know about the jinx and anti-jinx charms. I am very tempted to cast an anti-jinx charm on this letter. What if you start throwing a right royal tantrum from monday? With you I have learnt to always expect the unexpected. well....will start worrying about monday on monday. Right now let me bask in glory of today!! :) :)

Because today was my son's first day in school(proper school where you start chanting your A B Cs). And he made us proud today. Good luck to you sweetheart. Hope you go trotting to school like today...every single day of your school life.
Heres wishing you lots and lots of fond memories about school.

Luv you lots kuttappa... :)
Amma.

V-Day Special

I had opened google.com today to look for some information regarding work. And saw this super cute logo as the Valentine's Day Special...they always come up with such interesting ones. Absolutely loved it. And also wanted to record it here so that it is not lost into the wilderness of the WWW. Such a nice way to depict "Growing in love" with each other!!

The Picnic Saga-II

Here is part two of the Picnic Episode!! :)

Kutu did have a rocking time during his little outing!!! yaaaayy!!! Looks like I am happier than him....

As soon as I went home, I just asked him "Kutu evide poyi??"
Kutu: Ammaa...guindy park poyi...amma kondu poyillaa... (He actually meant he went to guindy park and didn't take me along). He then excitedly went on to describe the monkey, crocodile, parrot, owl and fish and paaambu(snake). Then he went a little overboard...this is exactly what he said with his eyes wide as saucers and in all the seriousness: "Ammaa...crocodile kandu...Blue crocodile!! Crocodile neengi neengi vannu...BOOO paranju...appo nandu pedichu poyi"
Ok Baby...agreed. You are a great story teller!! :)



He also didn't starve himself. I had packed bread, biscuits and apple for him. He had eaten a bit of all these. :)



The icing on the cake was his teacher's comment today. "He was very happy yesterday. He was running around the place and was enjoying himself thoroughly!!". Good!! :) I am happy too!!

P.S. : Pictures of the crocodile and deers were sent by Kutu's Dad!! :)
He says Kutu is not entirely wrong. In the picture, there is a tinge of blue on that crocodile!! :) :)

The first ever picnic!!

Kutu went for his first ever field trip from school today...:) It was a short picnic to the "Guindy Children's Park".

I was informed about this trip on Monday and from then I have been all jittery about the whole thing. Kutu going somewhere without me? ME...his beloved mother!! He was going to go somewhere without the accompaniment of any of his family members? Would the overworked stressed teachers be able to look after him? He is obviously not the apple of their eyes. Just one among the numerous kids in the playschool...
What if he runs helter skelter in the park? Who will run behind this little brat to see that he doesn't hurt himself? What if he jumps high and low on seeing a monkey there? He is a little monkey himself. And seriously...having studied in the campus adjacent to the Park I know that the monkeys there are big time bullies. They used to pester the life out of all us in the hostel!! What if one of those bullies my little baby? Who will give him a reassuring hug if he is scared? Would he starve himself? Will he even eat what I pack for him? God!!! So many unmentionable scarey "What if"s were crossing my mind!!

For the past two days I was bombarding everyone from the teachers in the school, to the mothers of the other kids to the aayah with so many questions. Rajat(kutu's friend in playschool)'s mom was a very patient soul. As she is a stay-at-home mother she gets to meet the teachers and the other parents everyday. God bless her for giving my rants a patient hearing. :)

Why send him at all amidst all this tension and doubts? I just wanted him to go and have a blast and enjoy himself!! Even if it means that I was going to breakdown out of nervousness and anxiety.

On the D-Day, i.e., today kutu was extra fussy to eat his breakfast, to come for a bath...ok..generally he was cranky. Somehow breakfast was thrust down his throat and he was given a bath. There was even a dress code for the kids going for the picnic today. There were asked to wear any orange colour dress. So he wore that and packed his school bag with the snacks and water bottle and Off to School we went!! :)

Once in school, parents were asked to move aside out of the view of the children till they got into the van. So I was hiding behind a wall and watching him obediently hold his teacher's hands and board the van. As soon as the van started, I took an autorickshaw to come to office. I asked the auto driver to follow the van! The "Guindy Children's Park" en route to my office you see!! :) But....I would have probably done that even if the picnic spot was at the other end of the city. Yeah i know....Someday in the future when kutu reads this, he is going to scream out "Amma you actually did that!!! GOD!!" But thats ok. How else do I pacify all the demons in my mind as well as ensure that my baby doesn't miss out on all the fun in the school.

Whether he actually had a rocking time is something I am yet to know. WIll have to go home and talk to him. I hope he did. I heard from Rajat's mom that the kids had a nice time but came back all sweating and tired and sleepy. Now that gave rise to another "what if"...What if he falls sick because of that? Anyway will cross the bridge when it comes. And that too shall pass. :)